31 January 2024
Above and below; there's so much to explore in that territory.
Symbolism in the Bible is not always straightforward, and seldom simple for those of us with western educations. There's always a bridge between above and below. It varies with the context, but the whole point is the call and response. Heaven calls; the earth responds. Heaven orders; the earth builds and supplies.
There is a distinct orientation to the north in the Bible. It's "up" and sometimes symbolizes above. The Promised Land was a bridge between heaven and earth in that sense. Going north was going "home" in the sense that, for the Patriarchs, it was their ancestral nest. Thus, Jacob went home to Laban in Haran to escape the danger of his brother.
Going down to Egypt was going below, and it was usually seeking provision that responded to the call of Heaven. Israel went down into Egypt for a time until the Lord could finish business in the Promised Land, and it could be cleaned and prepared for His use. It connected above (the ancient homeland that provided their identity) with below (a place that could provide life support until it was time to move). The Plagues on Egypt were the Word of God coming to set things aright.
Pageau says that Shem took the bridge of the Promised Land and mediated between the children of Ham who were sedentary in Africa and the rowdy herdsmen of Japeth in the Eurasian steppes. He links Nimrod with Esau, both big hunters who did not represent the path of peace with God and His provision. It's not that hunting is morally evil in itself, but it provides a symbol in contrast to farming and herding. The quintessential man of God is a shepherd, not a hunter.
The pattern repeats throughout the Bible. The stories are not random; the symbols are woven intentionally into the narrative. Pageau: "Jacob's ladder symbolizes the vertical bridge between heaven and earth through which meaning and authority are exchanged for matter and power. Although strange to modern sensibilities, this latter is fundamental to cosmologies based on knowledge and meaning." (Pageau, The Language of Creation, p. 111)
It's the nature of above to send down meaning, and for below to elevate matter to meet it. Simply raising a pillar was an act of splashing heaven (anointing) on the earth, and standing up the rock to testify and support the meaning.
It's everywhere in Scripture, and that's quite intentional.
Comments
Jay DiNitto
This makes me think of OT natural-stone altars. It's not that they had to be built to a great height in itself, but that it was higher than everything else that surrounded it. Clearly manmade and intentional.
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